Hawk attended an event at Dallas Police Headquarters Monday afternoon, per my colleague Tristan Hallman, who was there. He says she had only one thing to say to him in response to questions: “We’re moving forward.”

I was told Hawk wasn’t in the office Friday, the day The News reported that she went to rehab for prescription drug use in October 2013, the month after she announced her candidacy for DA. At the time, she said she was getting back surgery. Details of her previously undisclosed rehab stay emerged after she had a falling out with her second-in-command and friends and colleagues reported that she had been acting increasingly erratic on the job.

In response to the story, Hawk released a statement acknowledging that she had sought help to get off medication she took for a bad back. Her former campaign manager also responded, saying Hawk didn’t get back surgery, but had an unspecified, lesser procedure before seeking treatment to stop taking prescription drugs.

Hawk will mark three months on the job Wednesday. Read more about what this all means for Dallas County’s new DA here.

A day after Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk fired her first assistant and longtime friend Bill Wirskye, in an upheaval that stunned the legal community and revealed signs of tumult at the top of her new administration, her second-in-command fired back at his former boss.

Wirskye, a veteran attorney who last year served as special prosecutor in the high-profile trial for the Kaufman County prosecutor killings, released the following statement:

I regret the DA has chosen to speak publicly about my departure.

The Dallas District Attorney’s Office has the best staff in the nation. They deserve a leader who is stable and competent. Law enforcement organizations cannot serve the community and function appropriately when mired in an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust. Transparency, accountability, and accessibility are duties owed to the community, not empty campaign promises. I sincerely wish the best for the women and men in the Dallas DA’s Office, and I remain proud to have served with them. I wish Susan Hawk success in her personal journey.

Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk fired her second-in-command Monday, shocking many in the legal community and hinting at an office in turmoil less than three months into its administration.

Bill Wirskye, a seasoned attorney who ran the day-to-day operations of the district attorney’s office, had been Hawk’s longtime friend before she appointed him as first assistant upon election. But when they began working together daily at the district attorney’s office, she said their “two strong personalities” butted heads, culminating Monday when a conversation they had prompted her to ask for his resignation. When he refused, she said she fired him.

Hawk

“He’s first assistant, I’m the district attorney, and when there is tension between the two of us and conflict between the two of us, this office deserves more,” Hawk said during an interview late Monday afternoon. “It deserves to have a united front at the top and that’s what I plan to give them.”

Wirskye confirmed his departure Monday, but said he wasn’t ready to discuss it.

Wirskye marks the second high-ranking prosecutor to leave the office on uncertain terms since Hawk took over as district attorney Jan. 1. Her decision Monday spurred speculation among stunned prosecutors and defense attorneys and emboldened critics who, in recent weeks, have privately accused Hawk of being disorganized and having difficulty trusting her employees.

“Given that she has fired, now, two highly regarded and highly trusted attorneys in the criminal justice system here in Dallas County means there is something more at play than just finding the right fit,” said Tom Nowak, a defense attorney who lost to Hawk in the Republican primary for district attorney.

Hawk named Wirskye as her first assistant the week after she won the election, in a move that was well regarded by many at the courthouse. A respected criminal defense attorney, Wirskye recently served as special prosecutor in the death penalty trial of Eric Williams, who was sentenced to death last year in connection to the killings of a Kaufman County district attorney, his wife and top prosecutor.

During his weeks as first assistant, Wirskye served as Hawk’s right hand man, helping make staffing decisions, for example, and accompanying her to public events, such as her town hall meeting last month. But tension was privately building between the two.

Monday’s dismissal represents a dramatic falling out for the new district attorney and her top assistant. Wirskye had been one of Hawks’ biggest supporters during her election bid, and the two have known each other since both worked as prosecutors under former Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill.

“Everybody at the courthouse is well aware of their long friendship,” Nowak said. “If you are going to hire somebody because you trust them and because they got you into that position … then it calls into question your temperament when you turn around and fire them three months later.”

Wirskye’s departure follows that of Jennifer Balido, a former judge who served as the administrative chief under Hawk. Her responsibilities included handling budget issues and relations with Commissioners Court. But Balido suddenly left the office in February, after Hawk told her things weren’t working out and Balido offered to resign.

Balido also raised concerns about Hawk’s temperament and rash decision making. While she worked under Hawk, she said her boss became so worried that she and Wirskye were colluding and leaving her out of the loop that she took Balido out of Wirskye’s chain of command.

“That was my first sign of trouble. She came into my office one day and said she wanted to take me out of Bill’s chain of command so now you and he don’t have a reason to talk to each other anymore. So I reported directly to her,” Balido said Monday. “Things just kind of went south after that.”

Balido hoped that tension between Hawk and Wirskye would subside after she resigned, and lamented Wirskye’s firing. “He was extremely loyal to the office, wanted the best for the office and wanted the best for Susan,” she said.

Hawk said she respects both Wirskye and Balido, but decided that neither were a “good fit” for her office. As news of Wirsyke’s departure spread, she reassured the rest of her employees that “there aren’t going to be any mass firings … It’s just something that needed to happen between the two of us.”

Former state District Judge Mike Snipes cautioned against reading into Hawk’s decision without knowing all the details, though he acknowledged that the upheaval could have ripple effects throughout the office.

“It can give the perception of some uncertainty and it can cause the rank and file to lose their confidence. But they shouldn’t,” he said, adding that “what the rank and file DAs should do is just keep on doing their jobs and not worry about the politics.”

Residents line up to ask questions at Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk's town hall meeting at the Concord Baptist Church on Monday night.

Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk’s town hall meeting Monday quickly morphed into a frank discussion about race and the criminal justice system.

Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk outlined her plans for her office, but also spent a lot of time listening and responding to resident concerns at Monday's town hall meeting.

Hawk fielded questions about everything from officer-involved shootings to diversity in her office. But she mostly let her presence do the talking, standing up as a white woman in front of a majority black audience.

“This is the only way we can find out what we can do better,” Hawk said at a packed Concord Baptist Church in the Red Bird area of southern Dallas. “If we can just start having this honest conversation and really listen to each other, then we can understand how to make things better.”

The Q&A-style town hall marked the first of what Hawk says will be every-other-month meetings with the public and was one of her most overt attempts at community outreach since she became district attorney in January.

Echoing priorities she has voiced during her first 45 days in office, Hawk on Monday spoke about the need to work with police and the public, with an emphasis on communities that feel distrustful of law enforcement. She has cited the officer-involved shooting in Ferguson, Mo., as a factor in choosing southern Dallas for her first town hall.

In doing so, she entered a community where her predecessor held a strong foothold. Hawk, a Republican, defeated Democrat Craig Watkins, the state’s first black district attorney, to clinch the position in the fall.

Marvin Earle, who identified himself as a father of three, took the microphone Monday to commend Hawk for her presence at the southern Dallas church, calling it “unheard of.”

Speaking to a standing-room only crowd, Hawk outlined her plans for the office, which included a commitment to fairly prosecuting officer-involved shootings. She also spoke about a need to ensure grand juries are as diverse as the county they represent.

Hawk also ceded the floor to police and politicians in the audience, as well as ordinary citizens who lined up by the dozen to have a voice. She listened more than she talked and responded to concerns with phrases such as “I understand,” “I get it,” and “I’m sorry.”

Virginia Bradford, whose son was run over by police in 2013, raised concerns about young men who run from officers because they feel racially profiled. “Everybody is human, and they should be treated human and not profiled,” she said.

Hawk said she agreed.

Criminal court judge Angela King attended and spoke about the same issue, one that she said “makes my heart tremble.”

“I know you don’t want to go to jail, and I know you may think the police are wrong … but on the side of the road is not the place to take it up,” she said. “Can we get that message out to the community?”

The back-and-forth discussion also grew tense at times.

One woman asked a pointed question about how many black attorneys Hawk had kept from Watkins’ administration. Out of 255 prosecutors, she said seven were not invited back; of those, two were black. Many black prosecutors remain employed by the office.

Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk will host a town hall meeting Monday night at the Concord Baptist Church.

Hawk will talk about her office’s initiatives and ask citizens for input on how the DA’s office can better work with the community. She’ll also take questions.

“My hope is for the community to get to know me and for me to get to know the community,” she said.

Hawk committed to regular town hall meetings in her inaugural speech as DA last month. Monday night’s meeting will mark the first of her administration.

She has emphasized her desire to rebuild trust between the community and law enforcement, including her office. Hawk said she chose a location in southern Dallas — Concord Baptist Church is in the Red Bird area — for that reason.

“Due to the Ferguson shooting and other incidents, I felt it was critical that the DA’s office open this dialogue in Southern Dallas,” she said.

Prosecutor Chris Pryor presented evidence that suggested Hooks returned to the barbershop after being fired, walked up to Fernandez as he cut a customer’s hair and shot him, clippers still in hand. Defense attorney John Read presented his client as a family man distraught about losing his job who also suffered from bipolar disorder.

Under the conditions of a life sentence, Hooks will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

From the time she began to testify to the moment she walked off the witness stand, she cried.

Miracle Solis quivered, sighed and wiped her eyes with tissues Tuesday morning, when she served as the prosecution’s first witness in the murder trial of Charles Dewayne Hooks.

Hooks, 32, had been an employee at the Oak Cliff barbershop of Solis’ fiancé, Alejandro Fernandez, until Fernandez fired him for inappropriate dress and behavior in June 2013. The day he was terminated, Hooks returned to the business, walked up to Fernandez while he was cutting someone’s hair and shot him once in the chest.

Hooks was scheduled to go on trial for the murder Tuesday, but changed his plea to “guilty” right before the trial began. The jury instead listened to testimony to determine Hooks’ punishment, which could range from between five to 99 years in prison.

In his opening statement, prosecutor Chris Pryor urged jurors to hand down a life sentence. He argued that Hooks knew his boss had two children and a pregnant fiancée at home. but didn’t care. “He was shot with his clippers in his hand,” Pryor said. “He had no opportunity to defend himself. He was shot in cold blood.”

Defense attorney John Read didn’t make an opening statement or question witnesses Tuesday morning. He will offer a case on behalf of his client when the prosecution rests.

When Pryor called Solis to the stand, she sighed and her voice broke in her first sentence, in which she identified herself to the jury: “I was the wife — fiancée — of Alejandro Fernandez.”

She went on to tell jurors that Fernandez loved his work as a barber and store owner. “It was an art for for him,” she said. She also said that from the time she met Fernandez in 2007, he acted as a stepfather to her oldest daughter and became the father of her two other children; she was pregnant with her 16-month old when he died.

At one point, Pryor asked: “What was it like to be a 28-year-old widow?”

“It was scary. I had these little girls depending on me and I was pregnant, bringing another one into the world,” said Solis, who is now 30 and going to school to become a nurse practitioner.

Hooks kept his eyes averted and looked down during most of Solis’ testimony. He didn’t visibly react when Pryor walked along the jury bench, and without saying a word, showed jurors a photo of Fernandez celebrating his stepdaughter’s birthday with his family.

Before leaving the witness stand, Solis wanted jurors to know that her fiancé was a good person who gave people the benefit of the doubt, including troublesome employees. “That was one of his biggest attributes and his downfall,” she said.

The jury gave 26-year-old Erica Lonzetta Dominque 10 years probation for the aggravating kidnapping. They could have sentenced her from between five and 99 years in prison, but Dominque was eligible for probation because she doesn’t have a previous felony conviction.

Jurors heard testimony from several witnesses, including Dominque, during the punishment phase of the trial Friday. They had found her guilty of aggravated kidnapping Thursday, after they spent a full day deliberating.

They deliberated briefly Friday afternoon before coming back with a sentence of probation.

Dominque had asked the jury to trust her during her testimony, saying “I’m not a bad person. I just had a bad day.”

A Dallas County jury found a Dallas woman guilty of aggravated kidnapping Thursday, after extended deliberations that lasted longer than the trial itself.

The jury was considering the case against Erica Lonzetta Dominque, 26, who authorities said threatened to kill her children during a fight with their father and then abducted her young son. The boy, now 6, testified against his mother Wednesday, telling a story about how his mother took him to a place with “alligator water and big rocks,” walked him to an embankment that authorities said was at least 20 feet high and said, “This is it for us. … You’re going to have to get killed.”

The boy was unharmed — a point the defense emphasized in their case.

The jury heard testimony from both sides Wednesday and then began considering Dominque’s guilt around 3:30 p.m. They deliberated until after 4 p.m. Thursday, when they announced the guilty verdict.

The punishment portion of the trial will begin Friday at 9 a.m. Lonzetta is eligible for probation because she doesn’t have a prior felony offense, but jurors could also sentence her to between 5 and 99 years in prison.

Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk met with police chiefs from across Dallas County this morning, as part of her effort to work closely with law enforcement during her administration.

They met at the Frank Crowley courthouse for a meet-and-greet event. It’s not clear what they talked about and Hawk declined to comment, saying she wanted their first meeting to stay focused on getting to know one another.

Hawk received unprecedented support from the Dallas Police Association during her campaign, as the group worked to oust her predecessor Craig Watkins out of office. Dozens of cops spent hundreds of volunteer hours campaigning for her and the DPA’s political action committee contributed $10,000 to Hawk — the most in any race in its history.

Hawk has said she wants to allow police officers back into grand jury hearings on shootings by police, a key issue for the Dallas Police Department. She’s also said she wants to look into how the DA’s office investigates officer-involved shootings during her administration.